GRAFTON— On Saturday and Sunday, July 5 and 6, the Grafton Music Festival presents two big concerts -- the Compaq Big Band with vocalist Rebecca Holtz and Ljova and the Kontraband with vocalist Inna Barmash.

First up on Saturday, July 5, from 6 to 8 pm, is The Compaq Big Band with vocalist Holtz. This high-energy 20-man big band showcases the power of 14 horns, a cookin’ rhythm section, terrific instrumental soloists, and the amazing voice of Holtz. The group was a hit at their first show and is back by popular demand. Holtz has a local connection. Vocal studies at the Vermont Jazz Center with the likes of Sheila Jordan, Jay Clayton, and Peter Eldridge have honed her skills as an artist while stage time with greats like Samirah Evans, Charles Neville, and Houston Person has inspired her.

If genre-defying music was a genre, Ljova and the Kontraband would probably defy that too. For if bringing together influences from classical, klezmer, tango, jazz, and Gypsy music has been done before, nobody does it quite like this. Moscow-born, New York-based composer, arranger, and violist Lev “Ljova” Zhurbin writes and plays music that evokes forgotten memories of things you think you’ve heard before but haven’t. Zhurbin leads the multitalented Kontraband with vocalist Inna Barmash.

Tickets can be found online at brattleborotix.com and at the gate. Tickets are $15, with children 12 and under admitted free. A two-day pass for $22 for July 5 and 6 is also available. Both concerts will take place behind the Grafton Inn.

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